Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Closed Businesses Lockdown Payment: West Yorkshire

Imran Ahmad Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the average payment made to businesses under the Closed Business Lockdown Payment scheme was in (a) Wakefield and (b) West Yorkshire.

Paul Scully: The Closed Business Lockdown Payment was a one-off payment for businesses that were required to close from 5 January 2021 due to the introduction of national restrictions. We are not able to share a breakdown of the funding distributed by Local Authorities at this stage. We will publish data on Closed Business Lockdown Payments in due course. All data on Government allocations and Local Authority payments of grant schemes is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-grant-funding-local-authority-payments-to-small-and-medium-businesses.

Closed Businesses Lockdown Payment: West Yorkshire

Imran Ahmad Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many businesses applied for the Closed Business Lockdown Payment in (a) Wakefield and (b) West Yorkshire.

Paul Scully: The Closed Business Lockdown Payment was a one-off payment for businesses that were required to close from 5 January 2021 due to the introduction of national restrictions. We are not able to share a breakdown of the number of businesses that have applied for funding at this stage. We will publish data on Closed Business Lockdown Payments in due course. All data on Government allocations and Local Authority payments of grant schemes is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-grant-funding-local-authority-payments-to-small-and-medium-businesses.

Restart Grant Scheme: West Yorkshire

Imran Ahmad Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many businesses will be eligible for the Restart Grant in (a) Wakefield and (b) West Yorkshire.

Paul Scully: The £5 billion Restart Grants scheme announced by my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer on 3 March 2021 are one-off grants to businesses in the non-essential retail, hospitality, leisure, personal care and accommodation sectors to support businesses to reopen as covid-19 restrictions are lifted in the coming months. The Restart Grants allocations have been made on the basis of an estimate of the number of business hereditaments in the specified sectors covered by the grant scheme. This estimate has been informed by Valuation Office Agency data on business hereditaments in the local rating lists, but Local Authorities are the decision makers on whether specific businesses are eligible or not. The Government paid 90% of this estimated total to Local Authorities and are committed to provide further top ups if required to cover all businesses in scope. Local Authorities in West Yorkshire have been allocated over £125 million through the Restart Grant scheme, over £17 million of which has been allocated to Wakefield Council. All data on Government allocations and Local Authority payments of grant schemes is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-grant-funding-local-authority-payments-to-small-and-medium-businesses.

Companies: Ownership

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the proportion of all registered companies in the UK which have not listed an ultimate beneficial owner; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Scully: As of 1 April 2021, the proportion of all registered companies in the UK, having not listed an ultimate beneficial owner (Person of Significant Control) are 0.25% of the effective company register.

Heating: Housing

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of rural domestic properties off the gas grid that are not suited to being heated by a heat pump.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The evidence received from stakeholders in response to our 2018 call for evidence highlighted that electrification of heat is the one pathway to net zero proven to work at scale in homes off the gas grid. This is reinforced by BEIS modelling which suggests around 80% of off gas grid homes currently have sufficient energy efficiency and internal electrical limits to accommodate a heat pump. Our analysis also shows that this figure potentially rises to around 90% with fabric upgrades including draught-proofing, cavity wall insulation, floor, and loft insulation, and / or more major upgrades such as external wall insulation. From 2022, the Clean Heat Grant will provide support to off grid households switching to low carbon heating, and the Home Upgrade Grant scheme will provide support to low income off grid households by installing energy efficiency upgrades and low carbon heating.

Heating: Housing

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate his Department has made of the average cost of installing a heat pump to a typical rural off gas grid domestic property.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Evidence from market research and industry engagement suggests that mass deployment of heat pumps in the UK could lead to a significant reduction in upfront costs for domestic-sized systems due to economies of scale and other efficiencies. In order to ease consumer costs, the Government has been providing financial support through schemes such as the domestic Renewable Heat Incentive. In addition, from April 2022, the Clean Heat Grant will provide support to off gas grid households switching to low carbon heating, and the Home Upgrade Grant scheme will provide support to low income off grid households installing energy efficiency upgrades and low carbon heating. The Government is developing options for how a long-term framework of policy approaches, including regulation, can combine to provide a clear direction-of-travel for industry and accelerate the uptake of low-carbon heat, including growing the heat pump market to 600,000 installations per year by 2028. Alongside the publication of the Heat and Building Strategy, we are planning to consult on new regulations to phase out fossil fuel heating in homes, businesses, and public buildings off the gas grid.

Heating: Housing

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support his Department provides to assist off gas grid households to purchase low carbon gas to heat their homes as an alternative to heating oil and where heat pumps are either unsuitable or cost prohibitive.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The Government recognises that biofuels such as bioLPG and bioliquid alternatives to heating oil may play a role in future off-gas-grid decarbonisation, particularly for those properties that are not suitable for a heat pump. The Department has recently published a Call for Evidence to inform the development of a Biomass Strategy. This strategy will review the amount of sustainable biomass available to the UK, including liquid biofuels, and how this could be best used across the economy to achieve our net zero target. It will also assess the UK’s current biomass sustainability standards, which are some of the most stringent in the world, to see where and how we can improve them even further. The Department also provides, and will continue to provide, support for households that are off the gas grid to switch to low carbon heating, including in homes where heat pumps are unsuitable. The Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (DRHI) is targeted at (though not limited to) homes that are off the gas grid, and supports biomass boilers and pellet stoves, and solar thermal (for hot water) systems as well as heat pumps. The DRHI is scheduled to close in 2022, but the successor scheme to the DRHI, the Clean Heat Grant scheme is scheduled to launch in 2022, and will provide upfront capital grants for the installation of low carbon heat systems in domestic and small non-domestic buildings. The scheme will support homes off the gas grid to transition from high carbon fossil fuel heating sources such as oil to low carbon alternatives including biomass boilers where heat pumps are unsuitable.

Fuel Poverty

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of fuel poor households living off the gas grid.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The most recent estimates for fuel poverty in England are for 2019. An estimated 542,000 fuel poor households in 2019 did not have a gas grid connection. This figure can be found in Table 10 of the fuel poverty detailed tables statistics: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fuel-poverty-detailed-tables-2021.

Department of Health and Social Care

Care Homes: Dental Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure the provision of routine dental checks in all care homes; and at what interval those dental checks are planned to take place.

Jo Churchill: Specialised dental services are in place to provide dental treatment in a number of settings including care homes, subject to the Standard Operating Procedures in place and Public Health England’s (PHE) infection prevention and control guidance. The frequency of dental checks will be determined by dentists on an individual basis. In addition, PHE published their oral health toolkit for adults in care homes to support care homes and commissioners to implement the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidelines on oral health for adults in care homes. The toolkit will also help care homes to implement the oral health element of the Enhanced Health in Care Homes Framework, for the support from general practice, the care home clinical lead and multidisciplinary team. The toolkit is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adult-oral-health-in-care-homes-toolkit/oral-health-toolkit-for-adults-in-care-homes

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Carol Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to assess the (a) availability and (b) dissemination of covid-19 vaccine information in (i) Tigrinya, (ii) Amharic, (iii) Blen, (iv) Kibajuni, (v) KiSwahili, (vi) Tigre, (vii) Oromo, (viii) Afar, (ix) Sidayama, (x) Wolayatta, (xi) Hausa, (xii) Chichewa, (xiii) Igbo, (xiv) Pashto and (xv) other languages spoken by asylum seeker and refugee communities.

Nadhim Zahawi: We are working closely with the National Health Service and Public Health England to provide advice and information at every possible opportunity to encourage people to come forward for vaccination when they are eligible, and support anyone who might have questions about the vaccination process, regardless of their immigration or residency status. The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government Community Champions scheme works with trusted local leaders to engage with their communities. The Government’s vaccination programme includes the use of street ambassadors to provide advice and information to local communities. The teams include ambassadors who can speak KiSwahili, Oromo, Afar, Yoruba, Akan and Somali. The programme can access additional translation support if a local need is identified. Anyone living in the United Kingdom, including refugees and asylum seekers, can receive the vaccine free of charge in line with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) prioritisation groups. Because there is no charge for the vaccine for people living in the UK, no proof of residence or immigration status is needed. NHS Regional teams, working with various appropriate local systems will reach out to unregistered people to ensure they are offered the vaccine.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of using community development centres to help promote and administer the covid19 vaccine in areas where the take-up of the vaccine is lower than average.

Nadhim Zahawi: The delivery of the vaccination programme is designed to be convenient and flexible, including in areas where there are groups with lower uptake. There is already a wide offer of vaccination settings such as religious and community centres. Local and national public health agencies are consulted on how best to utilise this flexibility to maximise uptake in groups with low vaccine uptake.

Education: Coronavirus

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on collection and publication of complete weekly data on school and college outbreaks, including (a) how many students are affected and (b) which covid-19 variant is suspected; how schools that are at risk of outbreaks where cases are high in the community are being monitored; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Churchill: The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the response to the pandemic and local COVID-19 outbreaks, including through the weekly Local Action Committee Gold meetings.

Educational Institutions: Coronavirus

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish, on a weekly basis, complete data of all outbreaks of covid-19 in educational settings including data from both (a)PHE reports and (b) the national school helpline that began operating on 17 September 2020.

Jo Churchill: Public Health England (PHE) publish acute respiratory infection incidents by different settings, including educational settings each week and is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-flu-and-covid-19-surveillance-reportsPHE also publish a breakdown of the number of cases of each variant in the United Kingdom twice a week. PHE is looking at ways to publish clusters and outbreaks by variant in different settings in a robust and clear way. This includes incidents escalated through the national school helpline. PHE will publish this data in due course.

Patients: Coronavirus

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people hospitalised by the B.1.617.2 variant of covid-19 to date.

Jo Churchill: As of 25 May 2021, 5,559 cases of B.1.617.2 have been identified in England. Of these cases, 201 or 3.6% were recorded to have visited accident and emergency and 43 or less than 1% of those admissions resulted in overnight stays in hospital.

Coronavirus: Death

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the recent spike in the B.1.617.2 covid-19 variant on the number of people dying from covid-19.

Jo Churchill: Public Health England (PHE) is monitoring the B.1.617.2 COVID-19 variant in England.Of the 5,559 cases of B.1.617.2 recorded in England as of 25 May 2021, PHE recorded 12 deaths within 28 days of the specimen date. 2,854 cases had been recorded by PHE, up to 18 May 2021, with six deaths recorded within 28 days of specimen date.The latest data on the SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and variants under investigation in England is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/investigation-of-novel-sars-cov-2-variant-variant-of-concern-20201201

Heart Diseases: Older People

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to make heart murmur tests available to people aged over 65 to ensure early detection and diagnosis.

Jo Churchill: There are no age restrictions for National Health Service tests to detect and diagnose heart murmurs.

General Practitioners: Hearing Impaired

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to standardise accessibility to GP services for deaf patients and ensure GP surgeries meet their responsibilities under the Accessible Information Standard.

Jo Churchill: All National Health Service providers are required to comply with the public sector equality duty set out in the Equality Act 2010 and the Accessible Information Standard to ensure that deaf people who wish to communicate using British Sign Language (BSL) when accessing NHS services can do so.NHS England and NHS Improvement have also commissioned a rapid review into access to BSL interpretation in NHS services which is nearing completion. The review will set out clear steps to support NHS providers to meet their responsibilities to deliver access to BSL interpretation. Under the General Medical Service and Personal Medical Service regulations, practices are required to ensure that their premises are suitable for the delivery of essential services and that these services are sufficient to meet the reasonable needs of their patients, including those with disabilities.

Dental Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether there will be health area dental recovery plans under plans for dental services to move to integrated care systems.

Jo Churchill: National Health Service dentistry is currently commissioned by NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSEI) and regional NHSEI teams have a critical role in planning and delivering recovery of dental services. In the future, developing and delivering plans to meet the health needs of their area will be a key role for integrated commissioning boards, as part of their overall responsibility for population health.

Health Services: Domestic Abuse

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will take steps to promote a whole-health approach in the provision of health services to domestic abuse victims as proposed by the SafeLives charity.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Health professionals are trained to spot the signs of domestic abuse and those at risk, referring to further support and sharing information appropriately with colleagues and other organisations. All National Health Service staff undertake mandatory safeguarding training which includes focus on domestic abuse. The Department continues to work with partners to support integrated care systems in embedding violence prevention and reduction across local health, social care and public health systems. The Department has overseen a £2 million domestic abuse pathfinder project, producing a free online toolkit and supporting the development of a model health response to domestic abuse.

Eating Disorders: Children and Young People

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the APPG on Eating Disorders report: Short-changed: Funding for children and young people's community eating disorder services in England in 2019-20, published in May 2021, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that children and young people’s community eating disorder services are adequately funded.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The funding and provision of health services, including mental health services, are the responsibility of local clinical commissioning groups which have the flexibility to allocate funding according to local need.NHS England and NHS Improvement continue to work with mental health leads from local systems, Health Education England and other partners across the health system to support local services and help ensure the funding flows to frontline children and young people’s community eating disorder services as outlined in the NHS Long Term Plan. NHS England and NHS Improvement review system plans against expected trajectories, seek assurance on any major divergences and establish recovery plans where needed.We have also announced an extra £79 million in 2021/22 to significantly expand children’s mental health services, including allowing 2,000 more children and young people to access eating disorder services.

Protective Clothing: Manufacturing Industries

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish a list of UK manufacturers from which personal protective equipment (PPE) has been sourced; and the postcodes where that PPE has been produced.

Jo Churchill: As of May 2021, DHSC has contracted with 31 UK based personal protective equipment (PPE) Manufacturers as part of our UK Make programme. The UK Make programme was stood up by the Department to ramp up domestic production in response to the pandemic.All PPE providers who have been awarded a contract to supply goods and services to the Department are published on Contracts Finder on GOV.UK, including those with UK manufacturers of PPE.The information requested is shown in the following table:Manufacturer namePostcodeI Love Cosmetics (Expac)PR25 2DYPotter & MoorePE4 6NDDTR MEDICAL LTDSA6 8RF UKDURAWELD LTDYO11 3UPKINGSBURY PRESSDN11 0BFL J A MIERS AND COMPANY LTDPE19 1QSNUMATIC INTERNATIONAL LTDTA20 2GBPHOTOCENTRIC LTDPE1 5YWRAMFOAM LIMITEDB69 2HFSTAEGER CLEAR PACKAGING LTDCV6 4BLTHE ROYAL MINT LTDCF72 8YTElite PlasticsHR2 6JRLincoln PolytheneLN5 8LGPFF PackagingNE37 3HRPolystar PlasticsSO14 5BFSiva Plastics (CWB’s) CWOT0100SO19 7GBBurberryWF10 1QXMcDonald & TaylorWA1 4RXPrivate WhiteM3 7LJRedwoodWN8 9PLSurvitecCH41 1HQAlpha Solway (Globus)DG12 5BLBlue Tree GroupS63 5DRBurberryWF10 1QXDon & LowDD8 1FRDrägerNE24 4RGEumar TechnologyHR1 3SEHoneywellML1 5SBMedicomNN4 7EJPrivate WhiteM3 7LJ

Travel: Coronavirus

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that covid-19 tests are affordable to travellers returning from overseas.

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that people are not overcharged for private covid-19 tests.

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of utilising the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 to ensure that companies are not overcharging for covid-19 tests.

Jo Churchill: In the United Kingdom, all international arrivals travelling from outside the Common Travel Area are required to book a testing package before travelling to England to protect themselves and the public. Testing requirements and therefore the costs paid by international arrivals, are set according to the risk posed by travel from ‘red’, ‘amber’ and ‘green’ list countries.Since requirements were introduced for international travel testing, the costs of travel testing have fallen significantly. The Government is committed to working with the travel industry and private testing providers to reduce the cost of travel testing whilst also ensuring travel is as safe as possible. NHS Test and Trace testing is priced at the mid-market level. GOV.UK shows a list of private providers to allow international arrivals to select providers based on cost, location and types of test on offer.

Coronavirus: Greater London

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people in (a) Harrow, (b) Hillingdon and (c) Brent have tested positive for covid-19 since 25 April 2021; and how many of those people were identified as having the Indian variant of the virus.

Jo Churchill: Data on the number of new variant cases by local authority area is not currently available.

Dental Services: Contracts

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS General Dental Services contract holders in England handed back their NHS contract in each of the last 6 months.

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS General Dental Services contract holders in England are currently working through their contractual notice period before ceasing to provide NHS services.

Jo Churchill: The information requested is not held centrally.

Dental Services: Migrant Workers

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many dentists who trained in other European countries have practised in England for each of the last five years.

Jo Churchill: This data is not held in the format requested.

Travel: Coronavirus

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will introduce a cap on the amount private companies can charge people returning to the UK for covid-19 tests and results.

Jo Churchill: We have no current plans to do so.Since requirements were introduced for international travel testing, the costs of travel testing have fallen significantly. The Government is committed to working with the travel industry and private testing providers to reduce the cost whilst also ensuring travel is as safe as possible.NHS Test and Trace tests are available at the market mid-point. A list of providers offering testing bundles for international arrivals is available at GOV.UK, allowing travellers to find tests at an appropriate price. We also offer deferred payment plans and hardship support for people who cannot afford to pay for the cost of managed quarantine and testing. In some circumstances this may be available to those who are not in receipt of income related benefits.

Travel: Coronavirus

Nickie Aiken: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of providing (a) free or (b) low-cost NHS covid-19 tests to parents whose children live abroad, to allow such parents to visit their children under legally agreed custody agreements between the UK and other countries whilst incurring reduced costs for covid-19 testing.

Jo Churchill: No assessment has been made.Since requirements were introduced for international travel testing, the costs of travel testing have fallen significantly. The Government is committed to working with the travel industry and private testing providers to reduce the cost of travel testing whilst also ensuring travel is as safe as possible. NHS Test and Trace tests are priced at the mid-market level. We offer deferred payment plans and hardship support for people who cannot afford to pay for the cost of managed quarantine and testing. In some circumstances this may be available to those who are not in receipt of income related benefits.

Travel: Coronavirus

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans are in place to support mandatory covid-19 testing costs for people who must travel abroad.

Jo Churchill: NHS Test and Trace tests can be purchased at the market mid-point to ensure that tests are available at an appropriate cost. We also offer deferred payment plans and support for people who cannot afford to pay for the cost of managed quarantine and testing. In some circumstances this may be available to those who are not in receipt of income related benefits.

Health Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to use learning from the delivery of the covid-19 vaccine to deliver primary care services.

Jo Churchill: The Department is committed to understanding and building on positive lessons learned from the COVID-19 vaccination programme and implementing these changes into other primary care services. As the vaccination programme is still underway, NHS England and NHS Improvement have not yet completed a review.

Health Services: Babies

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 17 May 2021 to question 824 on Babies: Coronavirus, if his Department will allocate further ring-fenced funding to local authorities to support them to meet local demand for increased services for babies.

Jo Churchill: There are currently no plans to do so. Local authorities receive funding through the public health grant to commission services for babies. The public health grant to local authorities in England will increase from £3.279 billion in 2020/21 to £3.324 billion in 2021/22, an increase of 1% in cash terms.

Prostate Cancer: Screening

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many rapid diagnostic pathways are in operation for prostate cancer in the NHS in England.

Jo Churchill: There are currently 11 urology or prostate rapid diagnostic centre pathways operational or in development, some of which cover multiple hospital sites.

Dentistry

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of dental school training places there are in the UK.

Jo Churchill: In England the number of places is controlled through intake targets operated by the Office for Students with approximately 800 dental training places available each year. The latest available data shows the intake target was 809 training places in the 2019-20 academic year.The provision of dentistry training places in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales is a matter for each devolved administration.

Children: Coronavirus

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant the Answer of 17 May 2021 to Question 822 on Children: Coronavirus, if his Department will make an assessment of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on the development of children aged two years and under.

Jo Churchill: Health visitors assess child development through universal health and wellbeing reviews, with a formal development assessment completed at the two to two and a half year review. Currently there are no plans for further assessments of child development.

Radiology

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the shortfalls in the clinical radiology workforce as identified in the Royal College of Radiologists' clinical radiology workforce census 2020.

Jo Churchill: NHS England and NHS Improvement have not yet made a specific assessment of the 2020 survey.

Health Visitors

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the level of funding required to deliver the two additional health visiting checks recommended in the Healthy Child Programme commissioning guidance published by Public Health England on 17 March 2021.

Jo Churchill: Public Health England has made no estimate.Commissioning guidance provides a framework for local authorities to use and adapt to meet local needs. Additional, non-mandated contacts are described at ages three months or six months old, based on evidence and are outlined for local consideration. Health visitors should also use their clinical judgement to determine use of targeted interventions or referral.

Dental Services

Mr Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many dental practices are registering new (a) adult and (b) child NHS patients.

Jo Churchill: This data is unavailable. Continuous registration with dental practices is no longer required and patients are only registered with a dental practice during the course of their treatment.In circumstances where patients are unable to access an urgent dental appointment directly through a National Health Service dental practice, they should contact NHS 111.

Health Visitors

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of emerging Public Health England data indicating that the likelihood of babies receiving mandated health visiting checks varies based on ethnicity and level of deprivation.

Jo Churchill: Public Health England’s experimental statistical release is intended to provide greater visibility and emerging evidence on children who received mandated health visiting reviews accounting for ethnicity, deprivation and other characteristics. This data is in addition to the routinely available health visitor metrics and outcomes. Local authorities and their health visiting providers can use this data to inform their commissioning strategies and needs assessments to improve outcomes and reduce inequalities faced by children of minority ethnic or deprived backgrounds.

Question

Ben Everitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the 2009 NICE guidelines on rehabilitation after critical illness become standard practice in NHS Trusts.

Jo Churchill: Health and care commissioners are expected to take the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidelines fully into account. These guidelines provide recommendations on best practice in terms of both the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of interventions and services.NHS England’s Adult Critical Care Service specification states that providers must comply with the 2009 NICE clinical guideline on rehabilitation after critical illness. The specification is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Adult-Critical-Care-Service-Specification-FINAL.pdf

Health Visitors

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to improve accountability for delivering mandated health visiting checks in response to evidence from the Children’s Commissioner's Best Beginnings in the Early Years report that indicated up to 65 per cent of children were not receiving the two and a half year old check in some local areas.

Jo Churchill: Since publication of the Children’s Commissioner’s report ‘Best beginnings in the Early Years’, Public Health England (PHE) has published updated guidance for mandated health visits to support local decision-making on service commissioning and provision. The guidance is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/healthy-child-programme-0-to-19-health-visitor-and-school-nurse-commissioningTo monitor implementation, PHE also continues to collect and publishes quarterly data on health visiting service metrics, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/health-visitor-service-delivery-metrics-2019-to-2020

Cancer: Children and Young People

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the prevalence of cancer diagnosis among children and young people.

Jo Churchill: In 2018, the most recent data available, there were 25,312 children and young people living with a cancer diagnosis in England. This data is available by cancer type, sex and other demographic factors and is available at the following link:https://www.cancerdata.nhs.uk/prevalence

Dental Services

Mr Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress has been made on increasing access to NHS dentistry.

Jo Churchill: National Health Service dentists throughout the country have been asked to maximise safe throughput to meet as many prioritised needs as possible, focussing first on urgent care and vulnerable groups followed by overdue appointments. In addition, NHS England and NHS Improvement has provided a flexible commissioning toolkit to local commissioners to help focus the available capacity on those that need it most and to reduce oral health inequalities. For the longer term, the Department has asked NHS England and NHS Improvement to work with the British Dental Association to build on the learning from the dental contract reform programme. Through this work, the Department is seeking to bring forward implementable proposals that address the key challenges facing the delivery of NHS dentistry and improve patient access.

Radiology

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has plans to allocate additional funding to the clinical radiology workforce.

Jo Churchill: The Health Education England (HEE) Cancer Workforce Plan commits to the expansion of capacity and skills across six professions by 2021, including clinical radiology. In 2021/22 HEE will continue implementation of this plan, including working with NHS England and NHS Improvement to increase the number clinical radiology training posts by over 100. Allocation of funding for future years will be dependent on future Government Spending Reviews.

Health: Children

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the new Office for Health Promotion will take to (a) improve outcomes and (b) reduce inequalities in the mental and physical wellbeing of children aged under two.

Jo Churchill: The Office for Health Promotion (OHP) will bring health improvement focused expert advice, analysis and evidence together with policy development and delivery from Public Health England and the Department. This will include children and young people's health. We will present more detail on our plans for the OHP in due course.

Dental Services

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that people eligible for NHS dental treatment are able to (a) register with and (b) access treatment at a local dental practice.

Jo Churchill: Continuous registration with dental practices is no longer required for a patient to access NHS services. Patients are only registered with a dental practice during the course of their treatment. National Health Service dentists have been asked to maximise safe throughput to meet as many prioritised needs as possible, focussing first on urgent care and vulnerable groups followed by overdue appointments. In circumstances where patients are unable to access an urgent dental appointment directly through an NHS dental practice, they should contact NHS 111.

Health Visitors: Coronavirus

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of mandated health visiting checks missed since covid-19 lockdown began in March 2020; and what steps he is taking in response to those mandated health visiting checks being missed as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: Public Health England has made no such estimate. Collection of quarterly and annual health visitor service delivery metrics covering has now restarted with the next publication of official statistics expected later in 2021.Health visiting services have continued to deliver throughout the pandemic with virtual contact unless there has been a clinical or safeguarding need to ensure children remain safe and protected. The restoration framework for community health services for children and young people outlines a recommendation for services to move to restore health visiting services, following their prioritisation during the containment phase of the pandemic.

Travel: Coronavirus

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether companies contracted to provide covid-19 tests to people returning to the UK have to adhere to a threshold of successful on time (a) deliveries and (b) results in order to keep their contracts with his Department.

Jo Churchill: Private providers which are listed on GOV.UK have declared and evidenced compliance with the relevant minimum standards for testing services, including the relevant stage of the United Kingdom Accreditation Service accreditation if the provider is processing tests or taking swabs. The minimum standards are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/testing-on-day-2-and-day-8-for-international-arrivals The Department is continuing to monitor each provider supplying testing for international arrivals, including assessment of their delivery, customer service and reporting services. We are also carefully monitoring issues raised by the public about private test providers, raising every complaint with providers. We are taking rapid action with companies where appropriate. Providers delivering inadequate services receive a five-day warning to demonstrate they have rectified their service and if they are unable to do so, they are removed from the GOV.UK list.

Dental Services

Mr Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has for the future of the dental workforce.

Mr Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of dental workforce throughout the UK.

Jo Churchill: NHS England and NHS Improvement are responsible for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet local need. While available data suggests that the number of dentists providing NHS services in England is sufficient, the interim NHS People Plan commits to addressing geographic shortages. We are working both on improving career pathways and the current dental contract. In the summer, Health Education England will publish the report of their ‘Advancing Dental Care’ programme which has explored opportunities for flexible dental training pathways and the Department will publish a report on the learning from dental contract reform programme.The Department has asked NHS England and NHS Improvement to work with the British Dental Association to bring forward implementable proposals.

Dental Services: Richmond upon Thames

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to NHS dental care in Richmond-upon-Thames.

Jo Churchill: National Health Service dentists throughout the country have been asked to maximise safe throughput to meet as many prioritised needs as possible, focussing first on urgent care and vulnerable groups followed by overdue appointments. This has been underpinned, taking into account current infection prevention and control guidelines, by the requirement for dental providers to deliver 60% of normal activity volumes for the first six months of 2021/22 for full payment of the NHS contractual value. In addition, NHS England and NHS Improvement have provided a flexible commissioning toolkit to local commissioners to help focus the available capacity on those that need it most and to reduce oral health inequalities. In London, NHS England and NHS Improvement are currently working with North and South Thames Paediatric Networks and Paediatric Managed Clinical Networks to secure funding for a project to increase access for children requiring dental procedures under general anaesthetic.

Ministers: Correspondence

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the correspondence since March 2020 between the Minister for Patient Safety, Suicide Prevention and Mental Health and the (a) Ombudsman and (b) Chair of the Parliament and Health Service Ombudsman on the use of the severity of injustice scale.

Ms Nadine Dorries: A search of the Department’s correspondence database has shown there are two relevant letters, which are attached.20210414 Rob Behrens to Minister Nadine Dorries (pdf, 295.0KB)20210426 MS(PSM) to Rob Behrens  (docx, 48.4KB)

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve mental health support for children and young people in (a) Southport constituency and (b) England.

Ms Nadine Dorries: In the West Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) area, which includes Southport constituency, children and parents can now self-refer into local child and adolescent mental health services and these services cover 0 to 19 year olds. The CCG has developed the local Healthy Young Minds website and a 24 hours a day, seven days a week helpline to provide information on access, urgent help and links to self help and support for family members and carers. Kooth have been commissioned to provide online live digital support and access to materials to support a young person with their mental health. Children and young people’s mental health services in the area will receive additional investment in 2021 and beyond to improve access and crisis support. This includes the establishment of a school-based mental health support team from January 2022. Nationally, the NHS Long Term Plan invests a further £2.3 billion a year into mental health services by 2023/24, which will see an additional 345,000 children and young people a year able to access support through National Health Service-funded services including school and college-based mental health support teams by 2023/24. We have also announced an additional £79 million in this financial year to significantly accelerate this planned expansion of children and young people’s mental health services.

Eating Disorders

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which NHS trusts have been allocated transformation funding for the eating disorders pathway since 2019-20.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The information requested is held at local sustainability and transformation partnership (STP) or integrated care system (ICS) level.In 2019/20 and 2020/21 transformation funding was made available to twelve ‘early implementer’ sites to test, evaluate and refine new models of integrated primary and community care for adults with severe mental health problems. Of these, eight sites focussed on transforming care for adults with eating disorders. The eight sites were Hertfordshire and West Essex STP; Cambridgeshire and Peterborough STP; Cheshire and Merseyside STP; South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw ICS; Herefordshire and Worcestershire STP; North East London STP; North West London STP; and Somerset STP.

Pregnancy: Mental Health Services

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether all expectant mothers and birthing people can access NHS perinatal services in every region of England.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Expectant mothers and birthing people are able to access physical and mental health care during the perinatal period in every region in England.

Self-harm: Children

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children were admitted to accident and emergency for self-harming in each year from 2015 to 2020.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The information is not collected in the format requested.

Dental Services: Waiting Lists

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish his proposals for tackling the backlog in dental appointments.

Jo Churchill: National Health Service dentists throughout the country have been asked to maximise safe throughput to meet as many prioritised needs as possible, focussing first on urgent care and vulnerable groups followed by overdue appointments. This has been underpinned, taking into account current infection prevention and control guidelines, by the requirement for dental providers to deliver 60% of normal activity volumes for the first six months of 2021/22 for full payment of their NHS contractual value. In addition, NHS England and NHS Improvement have provided a flexible commissioning toolkit to local commissioners to help focus the available capacity on those that need it most and to reduce oral health inequalities. We are continuing to work with NHS England and NHS Improvement to seek opportunities to improve throughput and support NHS dental recovery.

Fluoride: Drinking Water

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the planned timescale is for adding fluoride to all drinking water.

Jo Churchill: The Government is planning to announce measures in the forthcoming Health and Care Bill to make it easier to introduce new fluoridation schemes. However, any plans for expansion would be subject to the passage of the Bill, funding being agreed and consultation.

Members: Correspondence

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for West Lancashire of 31 March 2021 on face coverings, reference ZA56046.

Edward Argar: We replied to the hon. Member on 28 May 2021.

Ambulance Services

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including the ambulance service as an emergency service rather than an essential service.

Edward Argar: No such assessment has been made. The ambulance service is an emergency service. National Health Service ambulance trusts are category one responders under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004.

Health: Children

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of placing a statutory duty on Integrated Care Systems to deliver a strategy that improves outcomes and reduces inequalities in the mental and physical wellbeing of children aged under two.

Edward Argar: The proposed legislation for integrated care systems (ICS) is designed to be flexible, allowing the system to continue to evolve and develop new and better ways of working, based on local needs and circumstances.We expect ICS, in partnership with local agencies, to deliver targeted measures to support people at all stages of life, including measures to address health inequalities in the mental and physical wellbeing of children aged under two.

Ministry of Justice

Public Sector: Interpreters

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that only remunerated, registered and regulated interpreters are used by the (a) courts and (b) other public services.

Chris Philp: The Ministry of Justice is committed to ensuring the justice system is supported by a suite of high- quality language service contracts, that meet the needs of all those that require them. The Ministry commissions the services of suitably qualified language professionals through its contracted service providers, thebigword and Clarion Interpreting. Language professionals provided by our contracted language service providers are sourced from the Ministry’s register. Only language professionals who meet the Ministry’s contractual requirements are included on the register, which is managed and audited by an independent language service provider, The Language Shop. The contract has a clearly defined list of qualifications, skills, experience and vetting requirements language professionals must meet, which have been designed to meet the needs of the justice system. The full details of the standards required for our Language Professionals is set out in our contracts, which can be found at the following link:https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/975cb99e-fec6-430f-8f31-fd532a907137 The Language Shop make regular and independent assessments of language professionals carrying out assignments via the Ministry’s language services contracts, to ensure they meet the requirements of the contract between the Ministry and the supplier. The Ministry is only responsible for services used under the Ministry of Justice contract.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

Kim Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 May 2021 to Question 517 on Western Sahara: Politics and Government, what recent assessment he has made of the potential (a) risks and (b) merits of the UN’s designation of the status of Western Sahara as a Non-Self-Governing Territory; and whether he has plans to review the UK's position that the status of Western Sahara is undetermined.

James Cleverly: As the Foreign Secretary stated on 11 December 2020, [and as referenced in previous answers] the UK's position remains unchanged.We note the UN's position on the status of Western Sahara, which is set out on its website: https://www.un.org/dppa/decolonization/en/nsgt/western-sahara

Mali: Sexual Offences

Gareth Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure British troops deployed on the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali tackle conflict-related sexual violence against women.

Nigel Adams: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Ministry of Defence work together to ensure that British troops deployed to the UN's peacekeeping operation in Mali, MINUSMA, receive comprehensive pre-deployment training, including on human rights, preventing sexual exploitation and abuse and Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV). The UK's long range reconnaissance task group in Mali is a high capability commitment intended to enable MINUSMA to conduct more effective intelligence-led operations across the full range of its mandated tasks, including protection of civilians and prevention of CRSV. UK troops themselves have visited a large number of Malian communities, including some which have not previously interacted with peacekeepers, to deter criminal activity and violence against civilians, to provide a UN presence and to understand local population's concerns.The UK Government has a strong commitment to ensuring UN peacekeeping is equipped to tackle CRSV. Across all missions, including MINUSMA, and as a member of the UN Security Council, we support specific protection and assistance for women affected by armed conflict, and advocate for civilian and uniformed gender advisers to enable missions to address the needs of victims and survivors of CRSV.

Nepal: Christianity

Ms Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the extent of persecution of Christians in Nepal.

Ms Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to support freedom of religion or belief in Nepal.

Nigel Adams: Nepal is a secular country, and the right to freedom of religion or belief is enshrined in Nepal's constitution. Although people may legally convert to a different religion, the constitution prohibits proselytisation, as well as religious behaviour that disturbs public order or is deemed contrary to public health, decency and morality. The British Embassy engages with members of faith and belief groups, civil society and other embassies to monitor trends.

Haiti: Coronavirus

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assistance the Government is providing to the Haitian Government in securing supplies of a covid-19 vaccine.

Nigel Adams: The UK has been at the forefront of the international response to COVID-19. We have committed up to £1.3 billion of aid spending to counter the impact of the pandemic. The UK Government is one of the leading donors to COVAX, committing £548 million to the scheme, which will contribute to the supply of at least 1.8 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines in 2021 for up to 92 developing countries. The UK is pleased that the Government of Haiti has recently announced that the AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine is now authorised for use. GAVI has since confirmed the availability of an initial 130,000 doses which should be delivered before the end of July.

Sudan: Violence

Imran Ahmad Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Sudanese counterpart on recent reports of violence in the Red Sea state.

James Duddridge: The UK is deeply concerned by reports of intercommunal violence in the Red Sea state between the Beni Amer and Nuba. It is an important reminder of the challenges Sudan faces as it transitions to democracy and seeks to end decades of conflict. Following the removal of President Bashir in 2019 the UK is supporting Sudan through this transition process, including efforts to deliver much needed economic stability and aid to those most in need.We welcome the efforts made by the Sudanese Government to ensure that Sudan is an inclusive peaceful country, embracing the diversity of its people, and urge the Government to: deliver their commitment to assume full responsibility for the Protection of Civilians; implement swiftly their National Plan for Civilian Protection; and implement the Juba Peace Agreement, particularly provisions relating to security arrangements.

Ethiopia: White Phosphorus

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has been able to verify reports of the use of white phosphorus attacks on civilians in Ethiopia; and what plans he has to respond to those reported attacks in the event that those reports are verified.

James Duddridge: We are aware of reports alleging that civilians in Tigray have suffered burns that may be consistent with the weaponised use of white phosphorus. The Government of Ethiopia has strongly refuted allegations that such weapons are being used against civilians. The UK strongly condemns direct or indiscriminate attacks against civilians no matter what weapon is used.The UK Government is working to establish the facts. Access to the affected areas, and to verified information, remains difficult. We have called for communications to be restored and for unfettered humanitarian access. We have also consistently called for access for independent human rights investigators. We will continue to do so and support the efforts of the joint investigation between the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission.

Pakistan: Religious Freedom

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Pakistani counterpart on (a) the alleged abductions of children such as Maira Shahbaz and Farah Shaheen, (b) forced marriage and (c) forced conversion to Islam in that country.

Nigel Adams: The UK Government strongly condemns the forced marriage and forced conversion of women and girls in Pakistan.We regularly raise our concerns on these issues with the Government of Pakistan. Most recently, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon raised our human rights concerns, including Freedom of Religion or Belief, with Pakistan's Special Representative for Religious Harmony, Tahir Ashrafi, on 23 March 2021. Lord Ahmad also raised these concerns with Pakistan's Minister for Human Rights, Dr Shireen Mazari, on 20 February 2021. Pakistan remains a FCDO Human Rights Priority Country.

Global Fund to End Modern Slavery

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish any (a) risk assessments and (b) consultation with (i) the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery (GFEMS), (ii) organisations receiving Government funding from the GFEMS and (iii) the beneficiaries of projects funded through the GFEMS including survivors of slavery and other State agencies conducted (A) before and (B) after his Department's decision to reduce the budget allocated to the GFEMS.

Nigel Adams: The UK remains committed to the eradication of all forms of modern slavery, human trafficking, forced and child labour, in this country and internationally. We are committed to playing our part to deliver UN Sustainable Development Goal target 8.7 which focuses on eradicating modern slavery. We continue to value our partnership with the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery (GFEMS) and their work to combat modern slavery.The impact of the global pandemic has forced the Government to take the tough, but necessary, decision to reduce UK Official Development Assistance (ODA). The FCDO's aid budget, including the portion invested in GFEMS, has been allocated in accordance with the UK's strategic priorities as set out in the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy and the Foreign Secretary's priorities for ODA. The government assessed the impact on women and girls, the most marginalised and vulnerable, people with disabilities and people from other protected groups when deciding how best to allocate the UK's ODA budget. We have been working closely with GFEMS to agree how to maximise the impact of available resources to improve the lives of victims and those at risk of modern slavery.

Russia: Pipelines

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made on the potential effect on Ukraine of the US lifting sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

Wendy Morton: The UK remains concerned about the impact Nord Stream 2 will have on European energy security and particularly on the interests of Ukraine. Our focus continues to be supporting resilient European energy markets, including measures that diversify energy supply. The UK offers a full range of military, security, economic, political and governance support to Ukraine.

Russia: Ukraine

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Ukraine on the increasing presence of Russian military forces at the Ukrainian border.

Wendy Morton: There has been regular Ministerial and senior official level engagement with the Government of Ukraine and with our allies and partners on this issue. The Foreign Secretary and the Defence Secretary spoke to their Ukrainian counterparts on 2 April. The Prime Minister had discussions with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine on 5 April. Ukraine was also discussed at the 4-5 May G7 Foreign Ministers meeting. Most recently, I spoke to Deputy Foreign Minister Dzhaparova on 27 May regarding this and other issues. In all of these engagements, Ministers have made clear our deep concern over Russia's destabilising behaviour, including the build-up of military forces, and reiterated the UK's strong support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.We note Russian Defence Minister Shoigu's announcement on 22 April that Russian troops would return to their bases. We continue to monitor the situation and are working with international partners to continue to de-escalate and reassure all sides.

Honduras: Coronavirus and Hurricanes and Tornadoes

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with its counterpart in Honduras on supporting that country to recover from the effects of (a) the covid-19 pandemic and (b) recent hurricanes.

Wendy Morton: On 17 May, the Minister of State for the Pacific and Environment, the Rt Hon Lord Zac Goldsmith, met with Honduran Secretary of State, Carlos Madero. They discussed Honduras' reconstruction plan, environmental issues, and vaccines. The UK provided immediate humanitarian support to Honduras in response to the devastation caused by storms Eta and Iota, which struck Central America in November 2020. The UK also contributed £1m to the International Red Cross for their post-hurricane relief efforts, and an additional £224k worth of relief items were delivered by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel Argus. Honduras has so far received 200,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine through the COVAX mechanism. The UK is fully committed to COVAX as the best way to ensure global equitable access for priority vulnerable populations, and that is why we have donated more than £548 million to the process. The British Embassy in Guatemala City (non-Resident for Honduras) has regularly engaged with the Honduran government and the private sector about the impact of the pandemic, and storms Eta and Iota, including facilitating donations from GSK (1,000 inhalator chambers, and 1,844 boxes of Panadol) to the Honduran Government, and supporting communication between AstraZeneca and the Honduran Minister of Health.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Staff

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to relocate civil servants in his Department from London to other parts of the UK.

Leo Docherty: The Ministry of Defence is working with the cross-Government Places for Growth programme to determine relocation plans, and announcements will be made in due course.

Ministry of Defence: Sefton

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many of his Department's jobs are located in (a) Sefton and (b) Southport.

Leo Docherty: The Department provides no Ministry of Defence Civil Service jobs that are located in the towns of Sefton or Southport.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Recycling

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to increase domestic recycling capacity.

Rebecca Pow: The 2018 Resources and Waste Strategy sets out the Government's ambitions for increased resource efficiency and a more circular economy in England. These ambitions require changes in how we produce and consume products and materials, as well as how we treat and dispose of them at end-of-life.In the Resources and Waste Strategy, we have committed to taking actions which will help to stimulate private investment in reprocessing and recycling infrastructure. The Collection and Packaging Reforms (Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (EPR), consistency and a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS)) are expected to increase and incentivise appetite for commercial infrastructure investment, giving investors greater confidence in the growing UK reprocessing market. Our ambition to recycle 65% of municipal waste and reduce waste to landfill to no more than 10% will help to drive investment. Also, the HMT plastic packaging tax is expected to increase demand for secondary material plastic and increasing reprocessing infrastructure will help meet this demand.Further capacity is likely to be required if the UK was to reprocess domestically the increased levels of packaging material expected to be captured for recycling as a result of the reforms.We are already seeing a response from the sector to increase reprocessing capacity.  Defra is also working with other departments (e.g. BEIS and DIT) and the waste sector to highlight the investment opportunities that result from the reforms.

Members: Correspondence

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of correspondence sent by hon. Members to his Department received a substantive response within the service standard in each month of (a) 2018, (b) 2019 and (c) 2020.

Victoria Prentis: The Government recognises the great importance of the effective and timely handling of correspondence. We are working to make things better.The Cabinet Office is currently compiling data on the timeliness of responses to Hon. and Rt Hon. members from Government Departments and Agencies. This data will be released, and made available to Members, in due course.

Waste: Recycling

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much recyclable waste (a) in tonnes and (b) as a proportion of total recyclable waste has been sent overseas in each of the last five years.

Rebecca Pow: Data on exports of waste materials is collated and published by HMRC and is available at the following link https://www.uktradeinfo.com/trade-data/ots-custom-table/ Defra does not hold data on the amount of waste suitable for recycling generated in the UK. YearWaste exported for recycling (tonnes)202012,879,137201911,373,916201815,843,470201716,431,888201616,265,212

Horticulture and Tree Planting

Stuart Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to encourage communities to engage in (a) tree planting and (b) community garden initiatives.

Rebecca Pow: We are committed to increasing tree planting across the UK to 30,000 hectares per year by the end of this parliament. We will take steps to improve public access to trees and woodlands in a responsible way, encourage community-led tree planting and invest in partnerships with communities and local government. This includes steps to empower local authorities to support communities in tree planting. Local tree and woodland strategies offer an opportunity for local communities to decide where new trees will be planted and how existing trees will be protected. We are opening the Local Authorities Treescape Fund, to work in partnership with Nongovernmental Organisations, local landowners, and community groups to deliver strategic planting and natural regeneration of trees outside of woodlands for the benefit of local communities and nature. We are also supporting a number of initiatives to inspire communities to engage with tree planting and community gardens: The Queen’s Green Canopy Project will see communities, charities, schools, and local councils planting trees across the UK in celebration of the Queens Platinum Jubilee.The ‘Plant for our Planet’ initiative has also been introduced to encourage individuals, communities, and businesses to help protect the natural world, either by starting a new activity or by joining an existing project. The National Planning Policy Framework already makes clear that planning policies and decisions should aim to achieve healthy, inclusive and safe places which enable and support healthy lifestyles, especially where this would address identified health and wellbeing needs, for example through the provision of safe and accessible green infrastructure. The Government also recently sought views on the draft National Model Design Code, and supporting Guidance Notes, which sets out how local design codes may specify levels of green infrastructure provision, including allotments, community gardens and street trees, as a critical component of well-designed places that provide multiple benefits for biodiversity, nature, recreation, climate change resilience and health and wellbeing.

Floods: West Yorkshire

Imran Ahmad Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of properties in West Yorkshire that are at risk of flooding.

Rebecca Pow: The Environment Agency estimates there are 45,453 properties at risk of flooding across West Yorkshire.

Pets: Animal Welfare

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure that the welfare of exotic animals being held in private residences is being protected.

Victoria Prentis: This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.The Government takes the issue of animal welfare very seriously. Our manifesto and the recent Action Plan for Animal Welfare published on 12 May were clear about the importance of high standards of animal welfare. We have a long tradition of protecting animals and that will continue.As with all kept animals, the welfare of exotic animals held in private residences is protected by the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Under this legislation it is an offence to cause suffering to a kept animal or to fail to provide for their needs. The Government's recent Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 realises the Government's manifesto commitment to increase the sentences available to our courts for the most serious cases of animal cruelty. From 29 June 2021, anyone who is cruel to an animal faces a prison sentence for up to five years, an unlimited fine, or both.The private keeping of specific exotic animals deemed to be dangerous in the UK is also regulated by the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976. This legislation requires those keeping particular species to obtain a licence from their Local Authority. Whilst this legislation is primarily concerned with public safety, licence holders are required to provide suitable accommodation, food, drink and bedding for any animals held under licence and are subject to regular inspections by a veterinary practitioner.In the 2019 manifesto, the Government committed to ban the keeping of primates as pets. Primates are highly intelligent wild animals with complicated welfare needs and as such are unsuitable to be kept as pets. In a Call for Evidence on the welfare of primates kept as pets which closed in January 2020, Defra received evidence of the harm that can be done to primates kept in domestic settings, both physical and psychological.Defra sought public input on proposals to tackle the issue of primates kept as pets in a consultation launched at the end of 2020. As outlined in the Government's Action Plan for Animal Welfare we will legislate to prohibit primates as pets. Keepers that are able to provide welfare standards akin to those of licensed zoos will be able to keep their primates under a new licensing regime, subject to conditions and inspections. Ownership of these exotic animals with complex needs will be phased out for keepers unable to meet these standards.The Government is considering which other wild animals these restrictions could apply to and steps to ensure this is possible will form part of the upcoming Kept Animals Bill.

Home Office

Police

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she is taking steps to reduce the number of single crewed police officers on duty.

Kit Malthouse: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Migrant Workers

Brendan Clarke-Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will extend the automatic 12-month visa extension to (a) ST3 GP trainees and (b) other international staff working in the NHS.

Kevin Foster: The Government recognises the vital contribution overseas NHS, health and social care workers have and continue to make in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.The introduction of the Health and Care visa last August made it quicker and cheaper for regulated health and care professionals and their dependents to secure their visa. This includes ST3 (Speciality Trainee, 3rd year) GP trainees who are eligible under the standard occupation classification code for medical practitioners.Since the start of the pandemic, the Government has extended the visas of over 10,000 key, frontline regulated health and care professionals, and their eligible family members. The visa extension scheme was recently extended in April to cover visas which expire between 1 April 2021 until 30 September 2021. The intention of the scheme is to allow frontline medical professionals to focus on tackling the Covid-19 pandemic, rather than worrying about renewal applications.

Visas: India

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visas were granted to allow travellers to enter the UK from India since 1 April 2021, by type of visa.

Kevin Foster: Travel to the UK from India is currently subjective to extensive restrictions due to it being on the Red List, this includes a requirement to enter the Managed Quarantine Service on arrival in the UK.Any proposed travel to the UK from India, including any which forms the basis of a visa application, will need to be in line with the prevailing health restrictions.Information on numbers of people coming to the UK is routinely published as part of the quarterly and annual Immigration statistics.We do not publish data on the number of visas issued by country, our published data is issued by nationality.Data for Quarter 1 (January 2021 – March 2021) was published in the most recent data release but will not cover the period requested. Later publications will cover the period requested and can be found at:www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2021

Overseas Visitors: India

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many travellers have entered the UK from India since 1 April 2021.

Kevin Foster: Travel to the UK from India is currently subjective to extensive restrictions due to it being on the Red List, this includes a requirement to enter the Managed Quarantine Service on arrival in the UK.The Home Office regularly publishes migration statistics including number of visitors to the UK on gov.uk. The latest publication covers up to March 2021 and can be found at:www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2021Statistics covering the period including April 2021 will be published as part of the next Quarterly Update.

Detainees: EU Nationals

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many EU nationals have been detained by UK border force since the end of the transition period.

Kevin Foster: EU Nationals who do not have status under the EUSS and are not eligible to apply for it, can enter the UK for up to six months as visitors, visa free. However, now freedom of movement has ended, those coming to work or study must prove they meet our entry requirements.In addition to the immigration rules, any travel to the UK at this time must be in line with the Border Health Requirements relating to the global pandemic set by the UK Government and the three devolved administrations. We urge people to check these requirements carefully before travelling, as entry to the UK may also be denied by Border Force on the basis of failure to comply with these regulations.Border Force treat all arrivals with respect and consider each passengers situation on an individual basis to check everyone entering the UK has the right to do so.We have issued instructions to our officers to reinforce the principle; in all cases there exists a presumption in favour of bail.The Home Office published data on how many people are detained or returned on gov.uk. the latest publication can be found at:www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-december-2020/how-many-people-are-detained-or-returned

Immigration: EU Nationals

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate she has made of the number of British citizens who have been sent a letter telling them to register for EU settled status.

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which Government departments she has shared data with to identify people who may be eligible for the EU settled status scheme but who have not yet registered for that scheme.

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which databases held by the Department for Work and Pensions her Department has accessed in order to determine whether people may need to apply for EU settled status.

Kevin Foster: The Government is using every possible channel to encourage everyone who may be eligible for the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) to apply.The Home Office is currently working with HMRC and DWP to send letters to EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who receive benefits, but it appears are yet to apply to the EUSS.The information shared with the Home Office by DWP was sourced from the DWP Data Analytics Data Warehouse (DADW) which holds data from Legacy systems, the Universal Credit (UC) database and the Migrants Workers Database (MWDB).In trying to reach as many people as possible, there may be a small number of instances where these letters are sent to recipients who are naturalised as a British citizen. The letter may also be received by a small number of individuals who have already applied to the EUSS, for example because they applied after the initial exercise with DWP or HMRC was completed, but before the letter was sent out. The letter makes clear anyone who is a British citizen or already has EUSS status does not need to take any action.As of 30 April 2021, 4.9m grants of EUSS status have been made. The Home Office urges anyone eligible for the EUSS to apply before the 30 June deadline to ensure their rights are protected following the end of the grace period.

Department for International Trade

Agriculture: Free Trade

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she is taking to ensure that UK farmers can benefit from free trade deals.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: British agricultural products are of the highest quality and our trade deals help to open new markets for British farmers. The interests of the British agricultural sector are taken into account at every step in trade negotiations – from public consultations at the start, dedicated Trade Advisory Groups during, and independent scrutiny of the final deal through the Trade and Agriculture Commission.My Department supports farmers to export using our trade deals too. For example, the recently launched ‘Open Doors’ campaign helps farmers to unlock opportunities in the world’s most valuable markets for British products, and the ‘Food is GREAT’ campaign builds global recognition of brilliant British agriculture, food, and drink.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Choirs: Coronavirus

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to enable non-professional singing choirs to resume rehearsals and performances indoors.

Caroline Dinenage: I know that the restrictions on singing are frustrating to large numbers of amateur choirs and performance groups across the country and that many people have made sacrifices in order to drive down infections and protect the NHS over the last year. I want to assure you that everyone across the government wants to ease these restrictions as soon as possible. However, it is important that we take a cautious approach in easing restrictions.We will continue to keep guidance and restrictions under review, in line with the changing situation. Further detail on step 4 will be set out as soon as possible.

Choirs: Coronavirus

Dean Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, for what reason the covid-19 guidance for amateur choirs issued by his Department was revised on 18 May 2021.

Caroline Dinenage: The Performing Arts guidance was updated on 18 May to reflect the arrangements for Step 3 of the roadmap. Non-professional groups of up to six people can now sing indoors, in line with the rule of 6 applying to many other indoor activities and gatherings, and can perform or rehearse in groups of up to 30 outdoors. In addition, multiple groups of 30 can now sing outdoors, provided the groups are kept separate throughout the activity, in line with other large events that follow the organised events guidance for local authorities. This is an important step forward in the return of non-professional performing arts activity from Step 2. We will continue to keep guidance and restrictions under review, in line with the changing situation. Further detail on step 4 will be set out as soon as possible.

Choirs: Coronavirus

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, on what date the Government decided not to include indoor amateur choir practice for more than six persons in the Step 3 easing of covid-19 restrictions that came into effect on 17 May 2021.

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, for what reason there was a 24 to 36 hours delay from (a) the Step 3 easing of covid-19 restrictions coming into effect to (b) the covid-19 guidance for indoor amateur choirs being updated; and whether Ministers received any new covid-19 guidance or data within that time period.

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what evidence, research or data the Government has assessed on the effectiveness of (a) limiting numbers based on the venue size, (b) maintaining social distancing and (c) other covid-19 safety measures on helping to limit transmission of the covid-19 virus within an amateur choir setting.

Caroline Dinenage: Decisions on Step 3 were taken collectively across Government before 17th May. The updated Performing Arts guidance sets out how venues and organisers should operate in Step 3. I know that the restrictions on singing are frustrating to large numbers of amateur choirs and performance groups across the country and that many people have made sacrifices in order to drive down infections and protect the NHS over the last year. I want to assure you that everyone across the government wants to ease these restrictions as soon as possible. However, it is important that we take a cautious approach in easing restrictions. We have followed the views of public health experts on singing. We are aware, through the NERVTAG and PERFORM studies that singing can increase the risk of COVID-19 transmission through the spread of aerosol droplets. This was backed up by a consensus statement from SAGE, resulting in the suggested principles of safer singing being published. We will continue to keep guidance and restrictions under review, in line with the changing situation. Further detail on step 4 will be set out as soon as possible.

Culture Recovery Fund: Cathedrals

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport,  if he will publish a list of the funding made available to cathedrals in each of the county council and metropolitan areas in England through the Culture Recovery Fund.

Caroline Dinenage: Lists of recipients of Rounds One and Two of the Culture Recovery Fund including cathedrals are already published by the relevant awarding bodies, including details of the amounts given and the region. The lists can be found on their websites here: Historic England: https://historicengland.org.uk/coronavirus/culturerecoveryfund/map/recipients-list/ Arts Council England:https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/publication/culture-recovery-fund-data National Lottery Heritage Fund:https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/about/decisions/culture-recovery-fund-heritage-decisions-up-to-1m-october-2020 https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/about/decisions/culture-recovery-fund-heritage-second-round-decisions

Culture Recovery Fund: Churches

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will publish a list of the funding made available to church buildings, excluding cathedrals, in each of the county council and metropolitan areas in England through the Culture Recovery Fund.

Caroline Dinenage: Lists of recipients of Rounds One and Two of the Culture Recovery Fund including churches are already published by the relevant awarding bodies, including details of the amounts given and the region. The lists can be found on their websites here: Historic England: https://historicengland.org.uk/coronavirus/culturerecoveryfund/map/recipients-list/ Arts Council England:https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/publication/culture-recovery-fund-data National Lottery Heritage Fund:https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/about/decisions/culture-recovery-fund-heritage-decisions-up-to-1m-october-2020 https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/about/decisions/culture-recovery-fund-heritage-second-round-decisions

Culture Recovery Fund: Cathedrals

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding has been made available to cathedrals through the Culture Recovery Fund.

Caroline Dinenage: The Culture Recovery Fund is being delivered by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England and Historic England. Funding to cathedrals by these bodies through the Culture Recovery Fund is as follows (figures have been provided by the awarding bodies): Heritage Stimulus Fund (data supplied by Historic England)Cathedrals: £3,425,882 Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage (data supplied by National Lottery Heritage Fund)Cathedrals: £17,074,600 Culture Recovery Fund (data supplied by Arts Council England)Cathedrals (arts activities): £641,151 Grand Total: £21,141,633

Culture Recovery Fund: Churches

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding has been made available to church buildings, excluding cathedrals, through the Culture Recovery Fund.

Caroline Dinenage: The Culture Recovery Fund is being delivered by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England and Historic England. Funding to churches by these bodies through the Culture Recovery Fund is as follows (figures have been provided by the awarding bodies): Heritage Stimulus Fund (data supplied by Historic England)Churches (all denominations) £18,359,911.28 Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage (data supplied by National Lottery Heritage Fund)Places of Worship (the majority of these relate to sites of active worship, mainly churches of all denominations): £11,600,100Grand Total: £29,960,011.28